


Missed You

by skittle479



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 12:05:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7757206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittle479/pseuds/skittle479





	Missed You

Rafael had been away for a week and I missed him, we’d never been apart for so long since we got married. The DA had come down hard on him about this one though and there was no escaping his ‘punishment,’ as Raf likes to call it. The DA had practically ordered Raf on his retreat with a few of the other ADAs, a camping trip in Massachusetts. I’d laughed endlessly for a week after Raf had come home with a letter from the DA, he had handed me the paper like a child grudgingly handing over a bad report card.

The DA’s letter had been convincing, Rafael did need some time off and most certainly needed encouraging when it came to bonding with his colleagues. I’d sided with the DA, much to Raf’s chagrin. Rafael had followed me around with excuses and entreaties to be allowed to stay at home.

“Priti, I can’t just leave you here with Lina! It’s not fair on you.”

Oh, Lina is our 10 month old daughter, just to get you caught up! We named her Catalina, after Abuelita.

“Raf, since when have you been concerned about my ability to take care of Lina by myself?” I had asked skeptically, raising my eyebrows just as he did when he was feeling sarcastic. “This will be a good experience for you, you never know, you might even learn something.”

Raf pouted and lifted Lina out of my arms. “You’ll miss me, won’t you mija?” he cuddled our daughter to his chest. Lina gurgled and stuck her fat little palms in his face, which Raf took as assent. “See _my_ daughter will miss me.”

“She is only _your_ daughter when you’re using her to try to win an argument.”

“Well _my_ daughter agrees.”

“Well it’s a pity _your_ wife doesn’t.”

That was pretty much the end of the conversation.

* * *

A week after Raf had left, I waited at the train station for my husband to come home. He had called me everyday begging for an excuse to let him come home, and everyday I’d declined to give him one. I knew he’d be exhausted, so I told him to expect his daughter and I at the station to welcome him home.

So I waited, with Lina in my arms, and watched as Rafael stepped off the train, wearing a white t-shirt and dark green combat pants that I had no idea that he possessed. His skin was beautifully tanned and his smile was hiding behind the salt and pepper beard that had grown over the last week. I don’t think I realized how much I had missed him until this moment.

“Lina, look!” I pointed at Raf as I walked over to him, “it’s daddy!”

Rafael dropped his bag on the floor and enveloped Lina and I in his arms, his incredibly strong looking arms. Rafael kissed me. “I missed you,” he said running his hand through my hair, the other reaching out to Lina, who had finally recognized his voice. She turned around and let herself be lifted into his arms. She looked up at Raf, expecting to see her father’s face, only to find a rather more rugged looking Rafael. The poor darling had some trouble finding her father’s familiar features and did the only thing a scared little girl can do, she screamed in his face, tears poured down her chubby little cheeks. Little Lina only settled when I took her back into my arms, she buried her face in my shoulder, refusing to look at Rafael. To say that Raf looked devastated would be an understatement.

“Raf, come on, don’t look like that,” I tried to keep things lighthearted. “I mean, look at that thing on your face, it’s enough to scare anyone!”

He didn’t smile, just picked up his bag and walked towards the car park. I chased after him. I felt terrible, wishing that I’d given him that excuse to come home. I strapped Lina into her car seat and got into the driver’s seat. Rafael had already loaded his bag into the trunk and was silently waiting in the car.

”Raf…”

“Look, Priti, I’m tired, can we just go home please?” he cut me off and his tone had a finality to it that made me clam up for the whole drive home. The silence was awkward, at least it was on my part. He blamed me, I knew he did, he had a horrible week away from his family, something I’d practically forced him into. I glanced over at him while stopped at a red light. For the first time, I noticed the insect bites scattered over his bare skin, swollen red blotches which looked like they itched intensely. Beside the bites, there was bruises and grazes. What had they made him do over there? Whenever Rafael had called, he had never had the time to tell me about the day’s events, just tell me he wanted to come home. I knew he could feel me watching him, but he refused to look at me.

* * *

 

By the time we reached home, Lina had fallen asleep in her car seat. I jumped out of the car and raced into the house, leaving Raf no choice but to bring her in. Lina stayed asleep as Raf made his way into the house, lovingly cradling her in his arms. His expression had softened significantly, Lina always brought out the joy in his heart.

He stopped in the hallway, looked up and smiled at me. “Priti…” he started, but never finished.

The cessation of Raf’s rocking and the sound of his voice had woken Lina and on seeing his face, she started screaming again. Raf was looking just as frightened as Lina. He was holding her out arms length, his eyes begging me to take her.

I did reluctantly. I took Lina in one arm and bounced her on my hip. I used my free hand to grab hold of Rafael, knowing that he would take any opportunity to bolt. “Raf! Wait!” I threw the towel I had on my shoulder at Raf, “here, cover your mouth.”

I turned Lina around so she was facing forwards and smiled at her brightly. “Lina look! Its daddy! Daddy’s home! Do you want to play peek-a-boo?”

I looked at Raf and waved my hand at him, indicating that he should play along. “Keep your mouth covered,” I whispered from the corner of my mouth.

“Lina!” Raf called his daughter. He got her attention. “Lina!” He lifted the towel over his eyes and then brought it down up only uncovering his nose, “peek-a-boo,” he said in the comical way that always had Lina in fits of giggles. It worked.

He leaned in close and she grabbed his nose. “Da-da,” she cooed.

Rafael laughed and looked at me, tears in his eyes. It was the first time she had said those words.

“Why don’t you go and shave and shower and then you can play with your daughter.” I suggested. “I’ll get started on dinner.”

Lina whined loudly as he walked away. She looked at me and squirmed angrily. “You’re such a little drama queen,” I scolded her playfully before depositing her in her playpen in the kitchen and proceeded to prepare a lasagne for the oven.

As I closed the oven door and set the timer, I felt Raf’s arms creep around my waist. I jumped and squealed embarrassingly, I hadn’t heard him come downstairs. He held me tightly, face buried in my neck. I gave him a moment, taking that same moment to breathe in his scent. His hair still damp from the shower, his face smooth from the fresh shave, his tanned arms more freckly than ever, veins bulging as he squeezed harder. “Raf, you press any harder and I’m going to pop.”

He loosened his grip and I turned around in his arms. Now that his beard had disappeared I noticed a few red marks on his face; a few specks of blood where he has shaved hurriedly, others were raised, insect bites. I ran my fingers over his face gently. “I’m sorry I made you go.”

Rafael sighed. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I was so grumpy about it.”

“Yeah well you should be.” I swatted his chest.

He kissed me unexpectedly. “Missed you,” he said as he tried to slide his tongue in my mouth, well attempted to say.

We were interrupted by Lina, she had started shouting “da da” rather loudly. Raf scooped her up. “There’s my little princess!”

Lina laughed and put her hands on his face lovingly.

“I guess we know where she stands on the facial hair.” Raf smirked at me.

“Pity, I thought it was rather attractive. Oh well, at least daddy has more time to play with his little princess now.”

Raf shook his head and turned to Lina. “Mija!” he said holding out his palm, “you’re getting me in trouble with Mami.”

To her credit, Lina certainly had her father’s charm, she held out her palms in a shrugging gesture identical to Rafael’s and laughed. We couldn’t help but laugh with her.


End file.
